PennScience

We are on locust now until 2 PM with our latest issue!

PennScience is excited to announce the release of our Spring 2019 issue: Robotics! Please stop by our table on locust walk tomorrow from 11AM-2PM to grab some snacks and a copy of the journal.

Hope everyone had a warm holiday season! We are pleased to announce new leadership for the upcoming semester Congratulations to the following chairs:... Editors-in-chief: Jenny Wang and Kenny Hoang Editing: Brian Song and Brian Zhong Writing: Hiab Teshome and Roshni Kailar Business: Helen Jian and Catherine Ruan Design: Farhaanah Mohideen and Roshan Benefo Communications: Aaron Zhang and Rachel Levinson Technology: Rounak Gokhale

We are starting a blog series of interesting topics in science right now! These are written by members of our very own Communications committee. Enjoy! Rebuilding Our Circuitry by Cal Rothkrug Whether you’re a biochemistry major or a theater major, if there’s any one phrase to recognize in modern medical research today, it’s organs-on-chips (OOC). The idea that scientists can design microfluidic structures that contain artificial extracellular and bodily fluids that transport... into and out of other artificially constructed biological entities to emulate the way the organs in our body function is remarkable. While most developed OOC systems have replicated excretory, respiratory, and cardiovascular organs, such as kidneys, lungs, and hearts, respectively, one organ has remained a seemingly endless jigsaw puzzle for scientists for as long as it has been discovered: the brain. It is important that we see the value in improving our methods to research the brain, especially in a world where mental disorders and drug addictions are rampant. To understand how certain substances enter and leave the brain, it is essential to examine the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Because the brain is such a complex organ, let alone the BBB system, researchers at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University have discovered a 3-chip method that provides a simplified view of the microfluidic processes that occur in and around the brain and proves to be a useful tool in understanding how drugs affect the brain as well as how certain cells affect each other across the central nervous system. BBB OOC’s provide a powerful method for researching how drugs such as methamphetamine--more commonly known as meth (or methamphetamine hydrochloride as crystal meth)--affect the brain by disrupting the BBB and allowing harmful substances to pass into the interior of the brain.

Come hear Dr. Henry R. Kranzler, a Benjamin Rush Professor in Psychiatry, talk about his research this Friday at 3 PM in JMHH F45! Coffee and Beiler's Donuts will be provided!

If you’re interested in learning more about the Student Research Panel that was held last Friday, check out this short recap generously written by Arjun Jain! The PennScience Student Research Panel was held on Friday, October 19, and provided a way for students interested in STEM research to learn more about the process and how to get involved. The panelists - Aaron Zhang, Alicia Jen, Aditya Hota, Abby Poteshman, and Lakshay Sharma - are all involved in research at Penn in di...verse fields and very different experiences, yet they all offered similar advice to the audience. One of the most central ideas described at the event was the importance of taking initiative by reaching out to professors to join their groups or take another step and begin an independent project. For example, Aaron, a senior working on cell therapy to target cancer, joined a lab early in his freshman year by directly emailing professors; he recently asked his PI for a larger role and is now working on an individual project. A common thread throughout the panelists’ responses was that there is no need to be afraid to directly ask professors for mentorship or opportunities - as Aditya said, the professors at Penn are here to help us all, so don’t be afraid to reach out.

PennScience is hosting a Student Research Panel THIS FRIDAY at 4 PM! JIMMY JOHN'S AND INSOMNIA COOKIES WILL BE PROVIDED. Come through! https://www.facebook.com/events/342938682949490/ Our second panelist is... Aditya Hota! Aditya is a sophomore studying computer engineering here at Penn. This past summer, he worked in the computer science department to work on developing a platform for doctors to more easily analyze patient data. He made an Android app that performs data analytics on glucometer data and began working on a cloud platform for storing data. He loves playing tennis and is part of a club focused on making low cost medical devices here at Penn.